Sir Syed Day: To commemorate Sir Syed Ahmad Khan’s birth anniversary and mark the institution’s founding, the residential halls, Cultural Education Centre, and schools of the Aligarh Muslim University and its extension centres in Malappuram (Kerala), Murhsidabad (West Bengal), and Kishanganj (Bihar) organised a number of events, including lectures, literary and cultural events, and the customary gala dinners.
For a specific audience, the University Drama Club is performing Sir Syed, a prize-winning dramatic masterpiece written by Prof. F. S. Sherani (Coordinator, Cultural Education Centre) and directed by Prof. Sherani and Mr. Muzammil Hayat, on various dates.
According to Prof. Sherani, the play will be performed for a general audience on October 18, 19, and 20 at 6 p.m., and will be broadcast live for a worldwide audience on October 21 at 8:30 p.m. for AMU workers.
On October 22 at 3 pm, a special performance would be performed for female pupils, he announced.
At the Sir Syed Day celebrations held at the Non Resident Students Centre (NRSC), guests of honour included Mr. Arvind Verma, the Chief Justice of the Magistrate for Aligarh, Mr. Brijendra Singh Yadav, the Superintendent of Aligarh Jail, and Mr. Palash Bansal, the Superintendent of Rural Affairs for Aligarh. At the Sir Shah Sulaiman Hall celebrations, the chief guest, Shri S.P. Singh Teotia
Prof. Naima Khatoon, the principal of the Women’s College, spoke as the chief guest at the Sir Syed Day celebrations held at the Abdullah Hall. She discussed how Sir Syed’s perspective on female education motivated Sheikh Abdullah to build a school for girls, which eventually evolved into the renowned Women’s College. The honoree was Ms. Huma Khalil, trustee and creature director at the Rekhta Foundation.
Various celebratory programmes at AMU
Sir Syed’s reformist fervour and missionary passion were discussed in the Aftab Hall by the chief guest, Mr. Syed Mohammad Ashraf (Retd. Chief Commissioner of Income Tax). The honorees included Mr. Sanjiv Saraf, founder of the Rekta Foundation, Dr. Mujeeb Ullah Zuberi, controller of examinations at AMU, Mr. Tausifur Rahman, director of Stepping Cloud Consulting Pvt. Ltd.
As the chief guest at the Sir Syed Day celebrations of the BR Ambedkar Hall, Mr. Mufti Shamoon Qasmi (Chairman, Uttarakhand Madarsa Education Board) discussed the enduring legacy of Sir Syed’s message in the current situation. Maj. Gen. Javed Iqbal, VSM, (Legal Advisor, UN Force Commander in Syria) was also a guest of honour.
The keynote speaker in the Sir Syed Hall-North, Mr. Gayasuddin Ahmad (Secretary and Finance Advisor, National Health Authority, Ministry of Health, Government of India), spoke on the significance of Sir Syed’s perspectives on tolerance and diversity in the contemporary world.
Dr. Syed Mohsin Alvi (attending physician, UMass Memorial Health, South Bridge, MA) spoke as the chief guest of the celebrations at the Sir Syed Hall-South and discussed how Sir Syed persuaded the Muslim elite to embrace his educational effort. The honorees at S.S. Hall (South) included Dr. N. Zaheer Ahmed, Director General of the Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine, Mr. Shah Faesal, IAS, Deputy Secretary of the Indian Ministry of Culture, Ms. Lilit Asatryen, President of the Armenian Young Women’s Association, and Dr. Masroor Qureshi, Former CEO of the Indian Hajj Committee.
The Sir Syed Day event was held at the Sir Ross Masood Hall, and Mr. Syed Shibli Manzoor (Founder and CEO, Numro Constructions, New Delhi) was the chief guest. The guests of honour included Prof. Mohammad Shamim (Dept. of TB and Chest), Prof. Mirza Salim Beg (Department of Electronics), and Prof. Arshad Umar (Principal, University Polytechnic – Boys).
Prof. Mohammad Mohsin Khan (Finance Officer) and Mrs. Shahwar Shohrat (CEO, Luxe Story, Director Intern, WAOW) were the honourable guests at the Sarojni Naidu Hall event.
AMU pays rich tribute to its founder Sir Syed Ahmad Khan
Sir Syed Day
The honoree Prof. Tabassum Shahab (Former PVC, AMU) and the chief guest Mr. Atul Vats, IAS (Vice Chairman, ADA, Aligarh) at the Hadi Hasan Hall programme emphasised Sir Syed’s role in promoting education among the general public and transforming society.
The chief guest was Prof. P.K. Dashora (Vice-Chancellor, Mangalayatan University, Aligarh), and the guests of honour at the Indira Gandhi Hall included Profs. Qudsia Tahseen (Department of Zoology), Asadullah Khan (Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit), and Mrs. Sabiha Ahmed (Director, Administration, Lucknow Institute of Technology, and Member, Sunni Waqf Board).
The festivities at the Bibi Fatima Hall were attended by Prof M Altamash Siddiqui (Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Technology), Prof Asfar Ali Khan (Director, Directorate of School Education), and Dr Salma Shaheen (Principal, Women’s Polytechnic), as well as other distinguished visitors.
Prof. M.A. Pathan (Former Chairperson, Department of Mathematics and Former President, IMS, ISCA and BGP) and Prof. Haris Manzoor Khan (Principal and CMS, JN Medical College), who were the respective chief guest and guest of honour at the Begum Azizun Nisa Hall, said that Sir Syed recognised education as the means by which Indians could overcome their disadvantage and compete with the rest of the world.
The Sir Syed Day event at the Mohsinul Mulk Hall featured Justice Hasnanin Qureshi (District Consumer Court and Complaint Redressal Commission, Aligarh) as the special guest. The honoree, Padma Shri Prof. Hakeem Syed Zillur Rahman (Former Treasurer, AMU), asked AMU students to continue Sir Syed’s objective of educational reform throughout the nation.
The chief guest at the Viqarul Mulk Hall, Shri Tarun Sridhar, IAS (Principal Bench, CAT, New Delhi), stated that Sir Syed worked to promote social and educational changes and to close the gap between the Eastern and Western worlds. The honorees were Mr. Hilal Haider, Senior Government Counsel and Advocate, Supreme Court of India, and Mr. S.M. Arif, President, Central Administration Tribunal – PB.
Prof. Akram Ahmad Khan, dean of the faculty of agricultural sciences, spoke as the chief guest at the Sir Syed Day ceremony at the Mohammad Habib Hall, where he discussed Sir Syed’s views on inclusivity and secularism. The honorees included Professors B.P. Singh from the Department of Physics, Anwar Shahzad from the Department of Botany, and Arman Rasool Faridi from the Department of Computer Science.
Smt. Naaz Rizvi, Director of the National Museum of Natural History, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, was the chief guest at the Begum Sultan Jahan Hall event. She spoke about the Aligarh Movement as a systemic movement aimed at reforming the social, political, and educational aspects of women. The honorees included Ms. Iram Majid, executive director of the Asia Pacific Centre for Arbitration and Mediation in New Delhi, and Mrs. Pooja Srivastava, assistant municipal commissioner for Aligarh.
Er. Pankaj Mahalwar, a senior alumni and educator, attended the event at the Allama Iqbal Boarding House as the chief guest, and Mr. Mohd. Nasim, the additional district and sessions judge for Badaun, served as the honorary guest.
The main guests at the Nadeem Tarin Hall were Mr. Arif Khan, IRAS (Division Finance Manager, Izzat Nagar Division, North Eastern Railway), Mr. Raees Ahmad (Deputy Commissioner, State Tax (OST), Aligarh), and Mr. Md. Shadab Ahmed, IRS (Additional Director of Income Tax, Ministry of Finance, Government of India).
The main guest of the Sir Syed Day programme at the STS School, where a number of events were planned to mark the Sir Syed Day celebrations, was Mr. Ahmad Ullah Khan (Principal Judge, Family Court, Aligarh). Ghazals, songs, Qawwali, and a Tableau illustrating the importance of Sir Syed’s educational goal were performed during the celebrations. As special guests, Prof. Asfar Ali Khan and Dr. Ali Jafar Abidi attended the programme.
Ms. Scheherazade Alim, the great, great granddaughter of Sir Syed, attended the celebration at the Ahmadi institution for the Visually Handicapped as the principal guest, while Ms. Rizwana Tauqir, an alumnus of the institution, attended the celebration at the AMU Girls’ School.
At the ABK High School, Prof. Hammad Usmani (Director, MAS) and Prof. Abid A. Khan (Deputy Director, Directorate of School Education) were the guests of honour, with Emeritus Prof. Irfan Habib serving as the chief guest.
Mr Anwar Alam, IAS, Director, Audit, Government of India, was the chief guest at the Sir Syed celebration at the City Girls High School (Qaza Para), and Profs. Abid Ali Khan, Deputy Director, Directorate of School Education, and Syed Ziaur Rahman, Chair, Department of Pharmacology, JN Medical College, were the guests of honour.